


Just Edit It Out

by abo_trash



Category: Heathers: The Musical - Murphy & O'Keefe
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, F/F, F/M, Polyamory, youtube au
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-13
Updated: 2017-05-13
Packaged: 2018-10-31 06:01:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,950
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10893198
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/abo_trash/pseuds/abo_trash
Summary: “Heather, if it'll make you feel better… We can go and wake up Veronica so we can have a cuddle pile while the video uploads,” Heather Duke suggested, and Heather Chandler turned to look at her again, her brows furrowed in thought.“We both know Veronica doesn't like her naps interrupted. Do you have a death wish?” Heather Chandler hissed, and she could only shrug, because to some, it sure had to seem that way.“I've outed myself as trans to the world, and about to post a video outing myself as gay and poly. I'm pretty sure that's practically a death wish as is.”---giveaway prize for philiphoe on tumblr!!





	Just Edit It Out

**Author's Note:**

> for a bit of context, this is an au that was discussed on my tumblr and a giveaway prize. the heathers all run a youtube channel together, jd runs his own channel, and so does martha. ronnie started off as just a friend on marthas channel, but after a youtuber meetup where she was practising parkour and literally fell into their lives, shes been appearing on their channels as well, and the fans started speculating abt her relationship with the heathers and jd. theyve been editing out ant evidence of their relationship up until this point though. so. here ya go.

“So you’re sure that it’s a good idea?” Heather asked. Specifically, it was Heather McNamara, and she was trying her best to not look uncomfortable with the video that they had spent hours compiling together. Heather paused, Duke this time, her hand hesitating over the final key. One click, and the video would be posted. Their secret would be exposed. And there would be no taking it back. Once she hit the button, then everyone would know, and everything from the past year would have been for naught. Still, the video thumbnail shined up at her, showing the three of them and Veronica on one side, and Veronica and JD on the other. The four of them were giggling and huddled close, while JD and Veronica were nuzzled together in that nauseatingly cute way they had about them, and the title of the video, in Veronica’s favourite shade of blue, splayed over their head.

“Just edit it out…”

“We can’t keep hiding it forever. People already suspect she’s dating one of us… They just aren’t sure which one. There’s all those dumb shipping wars, not to mention the fights over her sexuality,” Heather Duke huffed, scowling as she remembering scrolling through a few of the tags on tumblr. While some of the art had been rather adorable once she had gotten over the creepiness of it all, there had been a lot of argument over whether or not Veronica was gay, and even a few over whether or not the Heathers were even her type. She did her best to not be offended, just as she did her best to not be offended by all the awkward sexualisation of her body, but honestly, she was growing sick of it, and she knew that it had to be wearing on Veronica’s nerves as well.

“Yeah, what the fuck is up with that? I know that because we got popular, we practically signed away our right to privacy, but Jesus fucking Christ on a bike, what does her sexuality have to do with enjoying our channel? Or enjoying J.D.’s weird as fuck channel, if you can even call it that,” Heather Chandler groaned from where she was half flopped across Heather McNamara’s lap. She had been silent for the better half of an hour, pretending to play on her phone, but Heather knew she had been paying attention the entire time.

Heather Chandler wanted to act like she was above being upset by their fans, but they all knew the truth, and the truth was that the way they were acting was hurting her too. They were at each other’s throats, arguing about why each of their relationships wouldn’t work, and a few had even resorted to sending death threats. That was where they had drawn the line, where they had held a meeting to discuss finally outing themselves to the public. This outing though, this wasn’t like when Heather Duke had finally admitted to the world that yes, she was trans, and had posted a separate video to answer some of the most frequent questions so people would stop asking. This wasn’t just one person’s decision, wasn’t just one of their lives that would be affected. All of them would suffer the consequences, even Martha, who’s craft channel was only an innocent bystander in the hell of their relationship. There wouldn’t be a single person who wouldn’t have to deal with what was coming.

“Look, guys, we just… We’ve already made the video. Veronica agreed it’s the right thing to do at this point, and so did J.D.. All we have to do is post it,” she sighed, and Heather Chandler turned to glare at her, setting her phone down on the bed. She was the least happy about coming out to the world like this, buy they all knew there wasn’t much of a choice, that things were already at their worst, and they had to do it to make things better. Still, her parents watched their channel, were avid fans, and raging bigots. They didn’t know Heather Chandler was gay, though how, she wasn’t sure, and this wouldn’t just be coming out to their fans, but coming out to her parents as well, and she knew she was scared.

“All _you_ have to do is post it! You’re the editor here, and we’ve all seen your work. It’s fucking great, sure, but we all know we’ve been hiding this from everyone for a reason.” Heather McNamara ran a hand through Heather Chandler’s hair, trying to get her to relax, and Heather Duke wanted nothing more than to kiss them both then. She knew it was weighing heavily on Heather McNamara too, though for a different reason. While she was out to her parents, that was it. No one else in their family knew, and once the video was posted, then word would eventually get back to her grandparents, and Heather knew she was worried about how they’d react.

“Heather… It’ll be okay. We’ll still be here for you, even if they react badly. Even if our fans riot, then we’ll all still have each other. And… even if your mom and dad throw a fit… You don’t live with them anymore. They can’t do anything to hurt you,” Heather McNamara mumbled, and Heather Duke watched as Heather Chandler deflated, her eyes shining with unshed tears. She buried her face into Heather McNamara’s stop then with a groan, letting the other two know she refused to say any more on the matter, and Heather Duke could only sigh. This was weighing on all of them heavily, but there wasn’t much they could do about it. Either they outed themselves and let the hatred die, or let it fester and kill their fandom from the inside out. It was hard to think of the fact that, yes, they had a fandom, dedicated to them, but it was true. They had fans that loved them, that drew fanart of them, that commented on every video they posted, and despite the hatred that ran rampant, they still loved them. Even if it was getting a little harder to do so.

“Heather, if it'll make you feel better… We can go and wake up Veronica so we can have a cuddle pile while the video uploads,” Heather Duke suggested, and Heather Chandler turned to look at her again, her brows furrowed in thought.

“We both know Veronica doesn't like her naps interrupted. Do you have a death wish?” Heather Chandler hissed, and she could only shrug, because to some, it sure had to seem that way.

“I've outed myself as trans to the world, and about to post a video outing myself as gay and poly. I'm pretty sure that's practically a death wish as is.” There was a pause, as Heather Chandler thought over her words, then groaned and sat up, despite Heather McNamara's whine of protest. She wrapped her up in her arms as compensation, nuzzling the top of her head, and glared at Heather Duke, as if that would will her to change her mind about the video, even though it was almost time for a video to be posted, and they would have to wait for YouTube to upload the video and had no back up. This was what they had planned on uploading, and didn't have time to cobble together some new tutorial.

“Fucking… Fine, but you have to be the one to wake her up! So that way, if she yells at any of us, she'll yell at you,” Heather Chandler hissed, and Heather Duke rolled her eyes. She turned back to the computer and hesitated as she stared at the screen. This was it. There was no taking it back once she hit that button. Her eyes squeezed shut, she pushed down on the mouse, swallowing down the lump of fear that was starting to develop in her throat once she heard the click. Slowly, she cracked her eyes open, just enough to make sure that it was uploading, before she turned from the computer and jumped to her feet.

“Okay. It's uploading, and I'm going to wake up Veronica now. Either you two can come with, or you can watch it. Which is it?” she asked, as she started towards the door. There was a moment of silence, before she heard the other two Heathers scrambling to their feet to follow her. With a sigh, she opened the door and started off down the hall, towards Heather McNamara's room, and where Veronica had dropped when she had finally passed out. Their girlfriend had a habit of staying awake until she physically couldn't any longer, and that had been the case earlier in the day when she had finally fell asleep in the middle of them cuddling and reassuring each other about the video and their fans.

Opening the door, she found that Veronica wasn't alone. It seemed that one Jason Dean had snuck into their house, and was currently passed out beside Veronica, an arm draped over her, while she had practically wrapped herself around him, her face buried in his neck. She could feel a scowl started to appear, but pulled out her phone regardless, knowing that it would be something she could share on Instagram later, once the fans all got over the initial hype of the newest video. She snapped a quick picture, the sunlight leaking in from the window being enough lighting for a quality picture, before she put her phone on the dresser. Veronica had a habit of swinging out wildly when she was woken up, and Heather was not risking losing another phone because she hit it out of her hand or broke it by jumping on top of her again.

“Heather,” Heather McNamara hissed warningly, and she ignored her, creeping ever closer to the sleeping pair, before she threw herself down on the bed beside them. There was a startled shriek and disgruntled groan, a fist flailing out and connecting with the side of her head, before she grabbed onto the wrist and licked along the hand that had hit her, not caring for the disgusted yelp that came afterwards. She pulled it close and nuzzled against it, opening one eye in time to see Veronica roll over and wrap both arms around her waist. If that wasn't Veronica's hand, then…

“Ew, gross!” she screamed, as she let go of Jason Dean's hand and buried her face into Veronica’s hair. She could hear the other two Heathers snickering in the doorway and elected to ignore them in favour of squeezing Veronica close, while Jason Dean sat up and groaned, looking over his hand.

“You're telling me. For all I know, you've got rabies, and now I'm going to get it because you can't keep your mouth to yourself,” he hissed, and she glared at him over the top of Veronica's head. He was such an asshole, and she hated to admit that she cared for him. Still, it was the perfect moment for retaliation just then, and her revenge came in the form of a sleepy Veronica pulling her head away to look up at her, her eyes shining brightly. Without a second thought as to what she was doing, she kissed her, squeezing her close and feeling her freeze against her for just a moment. “Oh, fucking… Come on, Heather!”

“You know, as often as you scream our name, the neighbours are gonna think we fuck too,” she heard Heather Chandler hum, just as Veronica melted against her and returned the kiss. The bed sunk down behind her, and she figured that Heather had sat down on the bed beside them, though she wasn't exactly sure which Heather had done so. Not until she felt fingers tangling in her hair and her head was yanked back, breaking the kiss, and drawing out a sharp hiss. She didn't even have to turn around to know it was Heather Chandler, and the pathetically adorable look that Veronica gave as she looked up only confirmed that thought. It was a look reserved for Heather Chandler, after all, and Heather Duke knew that no one else ever had it directed towards them. “Heather, I thought you said we were going to have a cuddle pile. Not make outs. Not that I'm complaining, no, but I do wish you'd let me know what you were intending.”

“Wasn't intending on making out,” she mumbled, before Veronica pulled away and sat up, scrubbing her eyes. She did her best to not feel rejected, even though she wanted nothing more than to pull her close and nuzzle into her hair again. Instead, she settled for swatting at Heather's hand, wanting it out of her hair and to be allowed to sit up so she could cuddle with the others instead of laying down on the bed, at the mercy of Heather Chandler. She hated being at her disposal, knowing that Heather could jerk her head around however she wanted, if it really came to it.

“We do fuck though,” Heather McNamara said, as she too came over to the bed, and sprawled herself across Veronica's lap like a kitten seeking attention. She always got that way when her mind was in a bad place, and they all knew it. Veronica put a hand on her head and ruffled her hair slightly, her own way of showing she cared in her still mostly asleep state and couldn't quite process what to do to help her just yet, just as Heather Chandler finally let go of Heather Duke's hair and allowed her to sit up.

“I'm gonna pretend I didn't hear that,” Heather Chandler grumbled, as Heather Duke turned around, wrapping her arms around her. She pulled her close and nuzzled into her neck, despite the small grunt of protest she gave. She knew that Heather didn't really care though, or else she would have pushed her away, and she revelled in that fact, because it was always nice to cuddle with Heather Chandler when the chance was allowed. Unlike Heather McNamara, Heather Chandler could be very stingy with her cuddles, and only gave them out when she was upset. She knew it was about the video, but wasn't sure how to make her feel better.

“Fuck,” Veronica groaned, and slumped back against Jason Dean, who's cheeks coloured lightly, before he wrapped his arms around her. Oh. Instantly, she was jealous, and wanted nothing more than to steal her away and kiss her again, but instead settled for pressing a kiss against Heather Chandler's neck. It wasn't the same as cuddling Veronica, of course, but she was still glad to get to hold one of her girlfriends and cuddle with them, even if it was the stiff and cold body of Heather Chandler. “Why am I awake? What's going on?”

“The video is uploading, Heather's about to cry, and Heather needs reassurance that we still care about her,” she chimed helpfully, before Heather Chandler's hand connected with her face and she was pushed away, back against Heather McNamara. Fine. She could be that way then. Without a second thought, she wrapped her arms around Heather McNamara, enjoying the frustrated whine Heather Chandler gave. Served her right for pushing her away. She was going to have to learn her lesson about pushing people away when they tried to cuddle with her, if she truly wanted to be cuddled with. She heard Veronica sigh though, and glanced up in time to see the arm that wasn't playing with Heather McNamara's hair swing out. Heather Chandler scrambled over, cuddling into her side in an instant, and she glared up at her, hating that Veronica was weak enough to fall for her inevitable pouting.

“Right… That's okay. We can just… Cuddle for a little bit. I'm not gonna swear I won't fall asleep again though,” Veronica half yawned, hiding her face against her shoulder. Jason Dean leaned forward and pressed a kiss to her lips, and Heather Duke looked away then. Gross. She didn't want to see that. She focused on Heather McNamara then, who seemed content in Veronica's lap and cuddling close to her. She was adorable, really, and Heather Duke couldn't help but press a kiss to her forehead, adoring the adorable giggle that followed.

“That's okay, Veronica. We'll probably all still be here when you wake up,” Heather McNamara cooed, and she nodded against her shoulder, not bothering to look up at Veronica to make sure that she saw her. She was content with where she was, and didn't really care if Veronica knew she was supporting her or not, not really, because chances were, she knew that Heather wasn't going to leave her side. None of the Heather were likely to right then, not with the inner turmoil slowly tearing them apart over whether or not sharing the video was the right thing to do, even if it was too late to take it back.

“I make no promises if they start getting handsy,” Jason Dean grumbled, and she closed her eyes, deciding to ignore her girlfriends' boyfriend for now. He was a grouch, and honestly, she couldn't care less if he decided to be that way. She was content where she was, and for now, she wanted to focus on the warmth of Heather's body against her own, before the video finally dropped and they had to deal with the consequences and their fans' reaction, be it positive or not. For now though, they could cuddle and she could ignore the world, just focusing instead on the warm bodies so close to her own.


End file.
